In February, Activision executives publicly expressed their doubts about the PlayStation 2. Speaking with analysts following yet another record earnings report, the company said that their continued support of the nine-year-old console would be contingent on Sony cutting its price.

It's all about the Benjamin (singular).

Just over one month later, Activision and potential PS2 owners looking for frugal recession-era entertainment saw their wishes granted. Beginning on April 1, Sony is cutting the price of the PS2 in the US and Canada to $99/C$99. That's a $30 discount from the previous price point of the console, which was set at $129.99 back in 2006, two years after a dramatically thinner "Slimline" form factor was introduced.

The price cut is being mirrored in mainlaind Europe too, with the recommended retail price for the region dropping to €99 throughout the eurozone. The UK, however, is being left in the cold with a SCEUK rep confirming to GameSpot that there were "currently no plans to cut the price of PS2 in the UK."

Announcing the price cut, SCEA president Jack Tretton emphasized that "demand for PlayStation 2 remains strong throughout the world." He went on to suggest that the price cut would serve to boost PS3 sales down the line because it will serve to "bring in new consumers" to the PlayStation brand. Sony also promised continuing to support the platform "with new titles that appeal to families and casual gamers."

David Reeves, president of SCEE, highlighted the releases of SingStar Queen and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge as evidence for the "continued growth of the platform's library of content."

The now-very-affordable Slimline PS2 is less than one third the thickness of the original model, which first went on sale in the US in October 2000 for $299.99. At the time, Sony justified the then-high price point by the fact that the gaming device also played DVDs--then a cutting-edge feature. The PS2 went on to become the most popular console of all time, shipping more than 140 million units worldwide as of last summer and having 136 million sell-in units as of December 31.